Media disk case with edge retention bracket

ABSTRACT

A media disk case is disclosed, of a type having two covers joined along rear edges in a book-like fashion, and a spine interposed between the rear edges of the two covers. The two covers may be closed together to form an enclosed case having an interior compartment with walls comprised of surfaces of the covers and of the spine, and opened in book-like fashion to reveal the interior compartment. The media disk case includes an edge retention bracket secured to the spine. The edge retention bracket includes a channel extending from the spine in a semi-circular direction. The channel is configured to retain a media disk by contact around a portion of a perimeter thereof. In particular, the channel is configured to retain the media disk solely by contact around the portion its perimeter, whereby the use of a center rosette along with the associated disadvantages may be eliminated. In an embodiment of the invention, the edge retention bracket is a rigid member rigidly attached to the spine, whereby the edge retention bracket is held apart, i.e., “pops-up” from both of the two covers when the media disk case is opened to reveal the interior compartment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to cases for storing, transporting,and displaying optical media disks, and in particular, to cases fordigital versatile disks (DVD's).

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] Plastic cases for storing optical media disks, such as CompactDisk (CD) media disks and DVD's, have been known for perhaps as long asoptical disks themselves. In addition to protecting the media disks fromdamage, such cases also provide a container and display medium forartwork and other printed information associated with the particulardisk stored in each case. Plastic cases therefore have become commonlyused for display of disks at the retail level as well as for protectingthe disks.

[0005] Prior art cases for optical media disks such as DVD'scharacteristically are rectangular boxes with a flexible rosettecentrally placed in the interior of the box. The flexible rosette isused for retaining the disk by inserting the rosette through the diskhub. The rosette is greater than the diameter of the central hole of thedisk, and is radially resilient. It usually is configured with arelatively small diameter waist below a larger diameter distal end thatmay be forced through the hole by application of axial pressure. Suchcases are usually opened like a book, thereby exposing a disk retainedon an interior side of the box by the rosette. To remove the disk, auser grasps the disk by an edge or between opposite edges, and releasesthe rosette by depressing it at its center. To replace the disk in thecase, the user places it with its center aligned with the rosette, andpresses the hub of the disk over the rosette, thereby locking the diskin place. When the disk is inside of the case, the rosette secures thedisk in place, preventing the playing surface of the disk from beingscratched by the interior of the case.

[0006] The rosette/hub system used for disk retention in prior art caseshas certain undesirable aspects. One drawback of such cases is thatremoval of the disk from the case is not as easy as some users require.Users often do not properly disengage the rosette from the disk hub, andinstead forcible pull the disk from the case without disengaging therosette. This may delaminate or otherwise damage the hub. If the hub isdamaged, the disk may no longer play properly in its media player. Andeven if used properly, the rosette may gradually wear out the disk hubfrom frequent use. Also, the disk may be flexed during removal from therosette. If the flexure is too extreme or occurs too frequently, thedisk may become damaged thereby.

[0007] Damage from rosettes and from flexure is particularly troublesomewith DVD disks, which are spun at high speeds and require high precisionduring playback. DVD's are constructed of multiple layers of relativelythin material adhered together with adhesives. The adhesion of thelayers at the central hub of the disk may be somewhat poor, making thehub vulnerable to damage, such as delamination and crazing, from rosetteremoval. Flexure of the disks may also weaken the disks and make themmore prone to delamination. In addition to destroying the roundness ofthe disk hub, delamination, cracking, and crazing may also obscure thevery fine pitch digital data on the disk's playing surface, therebyimpairing or destroying the playability of the disk.

[0008] It is desirable, therefore, to provide a plastic case for storingoptical media disks that overcomes the limitations of prior art cases,and in particular, eliminates disadvantages associated with flexiblerosettes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention provides an improved plastic case forstoring, transporting, and displaying optical media disks, andparticularly, DVD's. The case eliminates the central rosette and insteaduses a retention bracket for retaining disks along their perimeteredges, while making removal and replacement of disks easier and simplerfor the user.

[0010] The invention may be adapted for use with any box or case that isdesigned to open like a book and has a spine along its opening hinge.The book-with-spine design is in common use today for DVD cases, and maybe inexpensively manufactured as a single piece of molded plastic. Aspine separates the two covers of the case and is hinged relative toboth covers, so that when the case is closed, the spine provides an endwall for the case. Sidewalls extend from the perimeters of the twocovers and a latch is provided on the perimeter opposite to the spinefor holding the case in a closed position.

[0011] According to the invention, an edge retention bracket is mountedto the spine in the interior of the case. The edge retention bracket isdesigned to hold the disk only by its edges. The retention bracket has acentral opening through which the disk may be grasped by inserting afinger through the central hole of the disk and holding the disk betweenan edge and the center hole. The disk may be removed from or replaced inthe edge retention bracket by holding the disk as described and slidingit edgewise out of or into the retention bracket. Multiple disks may beaccommodated in a case by placing additional edge retention brackets onthe spine of a suitably sized case. Each edge retention bracket holds asingle disk, and any one of the multiple disks can be selected from theretention brackets by leafing through them as if they were pages of abook.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the invention, the edge retentionbracket is rigidly attached to the spine of the case. When the case isopened, the edge retention bracket is pivoted by the action of the spineand thereby “pops-up” from the covers of the case. The disk is therebyinclined away from the covers of the case so it may more easily begrasped by a user. Multiple retention brackets may similarly be mountedtogether to the spine of a case, and configured to extend away from thecovers of an opened case at the same angle, or in the alternative, atvarious different angles. In an alternative embodiment, one or moreretention brackets may be flexibly attached to the spine of the case, sothat they may be leafed through like a page or pages of a book.

[0013] Edge retention brackets may be provided in various differentshapes. In an embodiment of the invention, the edge retention bracketscomprise a pair of thin flexible arms extending from the spine of thecase to provide a semi-circular groove or channel for the perimeter of amedia disk. In the alternative, the edge retention bracket may be shapedmore like an enclosed sleeve with an interior channel for holding theedge of a media disk. In retention brackets of either shape, theinterior of the channel may contain soft protrusions or ridgespositioned around the outer perimeter of a disk for securely retainingthe edge of a media disk when the case is closed. The channel may beflared outward along its opening for easier insertion of a disk into theedge retention bracket. The edge retention bracket may be comprised of arelatively soft, flexible plastic that may be compressed between thecovers of the case when the case is closed. The compression of thebracket material causes the bracket to securely grip the edges of anydisk enclosed by the channel of the retention bracket when the case isclosed.

[0014] A more complete understanding of the optical media disk case willbe afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization ofadditional advantages and objects thereof, by a consideration of thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiment. Referencewill be made to the appended sheets of drawings which will first bedescribed briefly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a media disk case in a fully openposition, showing a media disk retained by thin flexible arms of aretention bracket.

[0016]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the case shown in FIG. 1, showingthe case with the media disk removed.

[0017]FIG. 3 is a simplified plan view of a case in a closed position,with the upper cover removed to reveal a media disk retained in aretention bracket.

[0018]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken in the direction of arrows4-4, of the case shown in FIG. 3.

[0019]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the case shown in FIG. 4, withthe upper cover latched in a closed position and showing the retentionbracket compressed between the covers of the case.

[0020]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a case having multiple retentionbrackets.

[0021]FIG. 7 is an edge view of case with multiple retention bracketsconfigured to extend at different angles from the spine.

[0022]FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a sleeve-shaped retentionbracket.

[0023]FIG. 8B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a channel of anedge retention bracket, showing a detail of the channel shape.

[0024]FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a case, showing a configurationfor forming a case from a single piece of molded plastic.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0025] The present invention provides a media disk case that retainsdisks by their perimeter edges, thereby eliminating the center rosetteand the disadvantages associated with it. In the detailed descriptionthat follows, like element numerals are used to indicate like elementsthat appear in one or more of the figures.

[0026]FIG. 1 shows a media disk case 30 in a fully open position,showing a media disk 20 retained by thin flexible arms 42 a, 42 b of aretention bracket 40. Case 30 comprises two opposing covers 32 a, 32 bjoined along their rear edges 36 a, 36 b and a spine 34 interposedbetween the rear edges 36 a, 36 b. The two covers 32 a, 32 b are hingedtogether by the spine 34. It should be apparent that the covers of case30 may be folded together to form a compartment enclosed by the covers32 a, 32 b, sidewalls 38 a, 38 b, 38 c, corresponding sidewalls 39 a, 39b, and 39 c, and spine 34. Any suitable latch may be provided forholding the case 30 in a closed position, such as the latch comprised ofmolded counterpart pieces 44 a, 44 b in sidewalls 38 b and 39 b,respectively. Auxiliary features, such as booklet clips 46 a, 46 b, maybe included on the interior sides of covers 32 a, 32 b as desired.Exterior sides of covers 32 a, 32 b may be provided with an attachedexterior sheet of printed material, such as a printed cardboard sheet(not shown), or a transparent sleeve (not shown) for insertion ofartwork or other printed matter, as known in the art.

[0027] A typical media disk for storage in case 30, such as disk 20,comprises a central hole 28, an annular hub region 26 surrounding thehole, a player-readable data-bearing region (playing surface) 24surrounding the hub, and an edge region 22 surrounding the data-bearingregion around the periphery of the disk. The hub region 26 and edgeregion 22 are free of the binary data in which the media program carriedby the disk is encoded. Instead, these areas may be blank or may beimprinted with text or graphics. The center rosettes of prior art casesare configured to engage disks at the center hole. This can stress ordamage the critical hub region, which is used by a media player to spinthe disk. The edge region 22 is free of data, and is less critical thanthe hub during play of a disk. Accordingly, the edge region 22 isavailable for use in disk handling and retention.

[0028] Retention bracket 40 is accordingly configured to grip disks intheir edge regions. An opposing pair of thin flexible arms 42 a, 42 bextend from base 48 away from covers 32 a, 32 b. Bracket 40 ispreferably secured to spine 34 at its base 48. The retention bracket andany enclosed disk can thereby lie flat and parallel to covers 32 a, 32 bwhen case 30 is closed, and extend away from the covers when the case isopened. Opening the case necessarily causes rotation of the spine 34relative to the covers. Being fixed to the spine, the retention bracketwill rotate with it until it is inclined away from the covers. Forexample, when the case 30 is opened flat, the retention bracket and anydisk within it will be held approximately perpendicular to the covers,as shown in FIG. 1. Generally, a relatively large degree of inclination,such as at least 20°, is preferable.

[0029]FIG. 2 shows the case 30 with the media disk removed from theretention bracket 40. The retention bracket and its arms 42 a, 42 b aresufficiently rigid to maintain their general semi-circular shape andextended position when the disk is removed. In an embodiment of theinvention, the opposing arms are biased towards each other in thedirection indicated by arrows 50 a, 50 b to provide a clamping force onthe edge of the disk when it is inserted. The amount of bias should notbe too great so as to interfere with insertion or removal of the mediadisk, and may be as small as zero. The retaining effect of acentrally-directed bias or clamping force may be enhanced by providing asmall protrusion in the bottom of channel 52 near the distal end of oneor both of arms 42 a, 42 b. Such bottom protrusions are preferablypositioned in arms 42 a, 42 b to be located past the midline of disk 20after it is fully inserted. Further details of bottom protrusions aredescribed below in connection with FIG. 3.

[0030] In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a disk is retainedwithin retention bracket 40 by friction between the edges of a mediadisk and the retention channel 52 that extends around an inner peripheryof arms 42 a, 42 b. Friction may be enhanced by providing protrusions,such as ridges or circular bumps, in the sidewalls of channel 52. Ifsufficient friction with the sidewalls of the channel may be obtained,biasing the opposing arms towards each other is not required. In thealternative, or in addition, the channel 52 may be tapered (i.e.,flared) to an interior dimension sufficiently narrow so as tofrictionally engage edges of the media disk, so that a clamping forceexerted by biased retention arms is not required.

[0031] Case 30 and retention bracket 40 may be made from any suitableplastic material such as known in the art, for example, polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyester, polypropylene, and like materials, or anycombination thereof. Preferably, retention bracket 40 is made from amaterial that is softer than the surface of the media disk (such as DVDor CD disk) that it is intended to hold, to prevent scratching of thedisk surface. The material should also be durable, stable, non-reactivewith media disk materials and water, and heat resistant to at leastabout 150° F. (about 65° C.), or about the maximum interior temperatureof a car on a hot sunny day. The case and retention bracket may beinjection molded, vacuum formed, or formed using any suitable process.In an embodiment of the invention, the case 30 is made from a singlesheet of material, such as PVC, that is vacuum formed. The retentionbracket 40 may be molded or formed separately, and attached, such as byplastic welding, to the interior side of the spine. The covers 32 a, 32b may be stiffened using a cardboard sheet or like material that isadhered or fastened to the outside of the covers 32 a, 32 b.

[0032]FIG. 3 shows case 30 in a closed position, with the top coverremoved to reveal the media disk 20 retained in retention bracket 40inside of an interior compartment 54 of the case 30. A distal portion ofretention arm 42 a has been cut away to reveal a channel bottom wall 58and bottom protrusion 59. Certain auxiliary features, such as latch 44 aand booklet clips 46 a, 46 b, have been omitted for illustrativesimplicity. Midline 29 is drawn through the center of disk 20 andparallel to spine 34.

[0033] In the closed position, the spine is approximately perpendicularto cover 32 a, and the retention bracket 40 and disk 20 lie inside ofthe compartment 54 substantially parallel to cover 32 a. It should beapparent that the interior side of cover 32 a (or its counterpart cover32 b) may optionally be provided with features that cooperate with theretention bracket 40 to secure the disk 20 against movement or vibrationwhen the case is closed. For example, a protrusion or plural protrusionsmay be provided on the interior of cover 32 a just outside the perimeterof disk 20 opposite from retention bracket 40. In the alternative, asheet of material, such as a foam sheet or sheet of contoured plastic,having a recess or hole therein surrounding the outer perimeter of thedisk and retention bracket, may be adhered to the interior of either orboth covers 32 a, 32 b. Yet another alternative is to provide a roundpeg on the interior of the cover centered opposite to hole 28 of disk20. The peg should be sized sufficiently smaller than hole 28 so that itmay freely pass through it, and large enough to prevent the disk frommoving out of the retention bracket. Such features may be used toprevent the disk 20 from being shaken out of the retention bracket whenthe case is closed.

[0034] In the alternative, or in addition, arms 42 a, 42 b extend pastthe midline 29 of disk 20 when the disk is fully inserted into retentionbracket 40. For example, arm 42 a extends past the midline 29 and aroundthe periphery of disk 20 for an angular distance of approximately 5°.The extension past the midline should be relatively small, such asbetween about 0° and 10°, so as to not unduly hinder insertion andremoval of the disk.

[0035] A small protrusion 59 in the bottom of channel 58 may be providedat a small angular distance past the midline 29. In FIG. 3, theprotrusion 59 is shown located an angle θ past the midline 29 (i.e,distal from spine 34). θ may be any acute angle, preferably betweenabout 0° and 10°. The outer edge of protrusion 59 is preferably slopedgradually towards the distal end of the retention arm 42 a, tofacilitate insertion of a disk and reduce stress on the protrusion. Theprotrusion may have the same slope or a less gradual slope towards thebase 48 of the bracket, to facilitate disk removal.

[0036] During insertion of a disk into a retention bracket having armsthat extend past the disk midline, such as bracket 40, the retentionarms 42 a, 42 b will be forced apart by disk 20 as they pass over thefull diameter of disk 20 at its midline, and spring back towards eachother as the disk is inserted past its midline. Bottom protrusions 59,which are preferably provided in both retention arms 42 a, 42 b,advantageously engage the edges of disk 20 slightly inwards of thedistal ends of the retention arms. In addition, the spring-back actionof the retention arms advantageously provides audible and/or tactilefeedback, such as a “click,” indicating that the disk is fully insertedinto the retention bracket 40. To remove disk 20, a user may pull thedisk away from spine 34 to overcome the clamping force provided byretention arms 42 a, 42 b, forcing them slightly apart as the midline ofthe disk passes over the bottom protrusions 59.

[0037] The interior retention channel 52 of arms 42 a, 42 b ispreferably configured to grip the edge region 22 of disk 20. One methodof providing a gripping action is to provide protrusions for grippingthe edge region 22 of disk 20 in the interior of the channel, such asthe bumps 56. Any number of protrusions, or in the alternative, acontinuous protruding feature such as a ridge, may be provided in thechannel 52 for gripping the disk.

[0038] It may also be desirable to provide a retention bracket with achannel that increases slightly in width towards the end of the bracketdistal from base 48. In other words, the sidewalls of the channel may bemade to flare outwards towards the distal end of the retention bracket,as shown in FIG. 4. The flaring (tapering) of the channel may facilitateinsertion of the disk into the retention bracket. In addition, flaringmay provide space for gripping features, such as the opposing bumps 56of arm 42 b, towards the distal end of the retention bracket. Forexample, clearance between bumps 56 and disk 20 may be provided when thecase is open, as shown in FIG. 4. At the same time, the flaring of thechannel may be used to effectively widen the distal end of the retentionbracket and to increase its resiliency there. The retention bracket 40may then cooperate with the covers 32 a, 32 b of the case 30 to compressthe channel 52 against the disk 20 when the case is closed.

[0039] The effect of a flared channel 52 is illustrated by FIG. 5,showing the case 30 in a closed position and the retention bracketcompressed between covers 32 a, 32 b. Arms 42 a, 42 b are maderelatively soft and flexible, and are accordingly compressed (squeezed)until bumps 56 engage and grip the edge of disk 20. Similar squeezingaction may be achieved by placing protrusions on the outside of theretention arms 42 a, 42 b, or even on covers 32 a, 32 b, while providinga channel with smooth interior walls. In the alternative, a squeezingeffect may be achieved without any protrusions whatsoever, merely bycarefully controlling the dimensions of the retention arms and of thechannel. It should also be apparent that a squeezing effect may beaccomplished without flaring the channel, i.e, using a channel withparallel sidewalls. The protrusions need not be abrupt, and may insteadconsist of a gradual thickening of portions of the sidewalls of channel52 or of covers 32 a, 32 b. Protrusions such as bumps or ridges arerelatively easy to form in sheet materials, and may be preferred whenthe retention arms are made by vacuum forming or other sheet-formingtechnique.

[0040] Whatever their shape, the retention arms of the type designed tobe compressed by the covers of the case should be relatively flexiblecompared to the covers so that sufficient compression is achieved whenthe case is closed. For example, in an embodiment of the invention, thecovers 32 a, 32 b are made of the same material as the retention bracket40, and are stiffened by being formed to a greater thickness, by theaddition of stiffening features such as ridges or rails, or by attachinga stiffening material such as cardboard to the exterior of the covers.In the alternative, or in addition, the retention bracket may be made ofa more flexible material than the covers 32 a, 32 b. It should furtherbe appreciated that the flaring or thickening of the retention arms(e.g., by placement of bumps 56) occurs relatively close to thesidewalls of case 30. This can be seen in FIG. 3, where bumps 56 areclose to the sidewalls 38 a, 38 c. The cover 32 a is relatively stiff atthe sidewalls, and therefore better able to compress the retentionbracket to achieve a firm grip on the disk in these locations. Also, thespreading or thickening of the retention bracket preferably is locatednear the midline of the covers, to prevent excessive stress on the hingejoints between the spine and the covers. The base portion 48 of theretention bracket is preferably no wider than the spine 34 (i.e., is nothicker than the spine is wide).

[0041] A single case for holding multiple disks may be provided withmultiple retention brackets. FIG. 6 shows a two-disk case 60 having twoedge retention brackets 62 a, 62 b holding optical disks 20. Edgeretention brackets 62 a, 62 b may be essentially identical to theretention bracket 40 for the single-disk case 30 previously described.Spine 64 is wider than spine 34 for the single-disk case, but mayotherwise be substantially similar to spine 34. Edge retention brackets64 a, 64 b extend from spine 64 at substantially the same angle (i.e.,about 90°), and are offset from one another for a distance about equalto at least the radius of an optical disk 20. This amount of offsetpermits a user to easily grasp a disk by the center hole during removalor insertion of a disk into any one of the retention brackets 62 a, 62b, without touching a disk in an adjacent retention bracket. Otherdetails of case 60 may be substantially as described above for case 30.

[0042] In an alternative embodiment, multiple retention brackets extendin different directions from spine 64, and are inclined at differentangles to the covers of the case when the case is opened. FIG. 7 shows,in edge view, a three-disk case 70 with multiple retention brackets 72a, 72 b, and 72 c configured to extend at different angles from thespine. The retention brackets need not be offset from one another in themanner of case 60, because the divergence of brackets 72 a, 72 b, and 72c from spine 74 provides space between the brackets for removal andinsertion of disks 20. In an embodiment of the invention, spine 74 issufficiently rigid to hold the retention brackets apart from one anotherand away from the covers 76 a, 76 b when the case 70 is open, andsufficiently flexible to permit the retention brackets to lie flatagainst one another and against the covers when the case is closed. Inthe alternative, each of the brackets 72 a-c may be attached to anindividual spine or spine segment that is hinged relative to adjacentspines or spine segments. Other details of case 70 may be substantiallyas described above for case 30.

[0043] The retention bracket may be provided in various different shapeswithout departing from the scope of the invention. FIG. 8A shows analternative sleeve-shaped retention bracket 80 suitable for attaching tothe spine of a disk case as previously described. Retention arms 82 a,82 b are straight on the exterior sides of retention bracket 80, andfollow the semicircular contour of the disk-holding channel 84 in theinterior of the bracket. Channel 84, in turn, is defined by the sidewalls of the retention arms 82 a, 82 b. Channel 84 additionally includesa pair of opposing semicircular ridges 89 a, 89 b in the interior of thechannel for gripping edge region of a disk. Semicircular ridges 89 a, 89b are positioned to engage an inserted disk along its peripheral edgeswhen the disk is fully inserted into the retention brackets. Ridges 89a, 89 b are another example of protrusions, such as the bumps 56previously described, for gripping a disk. One skilled in the art willrecognize that there are a great many other suitable shapes forretention brackets within the scope of the invention.

[0044]FIG. 8B shows channel 84 of the edge retention bracket 80 ingreater detail. It should be appreciated that channel 52 of bracket 40,described above, may also be provided with gripping ridges and made toappear as shown in FIG. 8B. Walls 88 a, 88 b diverge slightly away fromeach other distal from the channel bottom 86. The width of the channelat the bottom 86 should be slightly larger that the thickness of thedisk the bracket is intended to hold. The diverging walls 88 a, 88 bprovide clearance for ridges 89 a, 89 b. When the edge of a disk isfully inserted in channel 84, the bracket 80 may be compressed betweenthe covers of a case, causing the disk to be gripped by ridges ) 89 a,89 b as previously described. The channel bottom 86 may be provided witha protrusion 87 near the distal end of each arm 82 a, 82 b, like thebottom protrusion 59 described in connection with FIG. 3 above.Protrusion 87 preferably extends across most of the width of channelbottom 86. The height to which protrusion 87 extends above the surfaceof the channel bottom may be determined based on factors such as thedimensions and relatively flexibility of the bracket 80 and disk 20, andthe desired amount of spring clamping force desired to retain the disk.Generally, the height of the protrusion 87 will be relatively small,such as between about 0.02 to 0.12 inches (about 0.5 to 3 mm).

[0045] It may be advantageous to form a media disk case with a pop-upretention bracket from a single sheet of plastic material. FIG. 9 showsan exemplary case 90 such as may be formed from a single sheet. Covers92 a, 92 b, spine 98, and other features of the case 90, except for thepop-up bracket 94, may be formed in a first process step, such as vacuumforming. Cutouts 96 a, 96 b may then be cut in the flat regions ofcovers 92 a, 92 b adjacent to spine 98, such as by a die cuttingprocess. The cutout portions may then be separately formed, folded upand towards one another over spine 98, and welded together to form aretention bracket 94 such as may be similar to, for example, bracket 40described herein. The finished case 90 can thus be provided with aspine-mounted, edge retention bracket without requiring a separateassembly step and while conserving the amount of plastic needed for thecase. The holes in the covers left by cutouts 96 a, 96 b may be coveredon the exterior of the case, such as by attaching a cardboard sheet tocovers 92 a, 92 b, as previously described.

[0046] Having thus described a preferred embodiment of a optical mediadisk case, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art thatcertain advantages of the within system have been achieved. It shouldalso be appreciated that various modifications, adaptations, andalternative embodiments thereof may be made within the scope and spiritof the present invention. For example, exemplary shapes of retentionbracket have been illustrated, but it should be apparent that theinventive concepts described above would be equally applicable to othershapes of retention bracket with the features described herein.Furthermore, although rectangular case are illustrated, the invention isnot limited rectangular cases and may be applied to any case that openslike a book and has a spine. The invention is further defined by thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A media disk case comprising: two covers joinedalong rear edges thereof; a spine interposed between the rear edges ofthe two covers and hinged to each of the two covers, whereby the twocovers may be closed together to form an enclosed case having aninterior compartment with walls comprised of surfaces of the covers andof the spine, and opened in book-like fashion to reveal the interiorcompartment; and an edge retention bracket secured to the spine, theedge retention bracket comprising a channel extending from the spine ina semi-circular direction, the channel configured to retain a media diskby contact around a portion of a perimeter thereof.
 2. The media diskcase of claim 1, wherein the channel is configured to retain the mediadisk solely by contact around the portion of the perimeter thereof. 3.The media disk case of claim 1, wherein the channel further comprises aninterior soft protrusion for grasping the media disk when the two coversare closed together.
 4. The media disk case of claim 1, wherein the edgeretention bracket consists essentially of a rigid plastic material. 5.The media disk case of claim 4, wherein the rigid plastic material issofter than the media disk.
 6. The media disk case of claim 1, whereinthe two covers and the spine consist essentially of a rigid plasticmaterial.
 7. The media disk case of claim 1, wherein the edge retentionbracket is configured to be compressed between the two covers when thetwo covers are closed together, whereby the channel is caused to grip anedge of the media disk.
 8. The media disk case of claim 1, wherein thechannel of the edge retention bracket is flared outward at an open edgethereof to direct insertion of the media disk therein.
 9. The media diskcase of claim 1, wherein the edge retention bracket is a rigid memberrigidly attached to the spine, whereby the edge retention bracket isheld apart from both of the two covers when the media disk case isopened to reveal the interior compartment.
 10. The media disk case ofclaim 1, further comprising a second edge retention bracket secured tothe spine, the second edge retention bracket comprising a channelextending from the spine in a semi-circular direction, the channelconfigured to retain a media disk by contact around a portion of aperimeter thereof.
 11. The media disk case of claim 10, wherein thesecond edge retention bracket is a rigid member rigidly attached to thespine, whereby the second edge retention bracket is held apart from bothof the two covers and from the edge retention bracket when the mediacase is opened to reveal the interior compartment.
 12. The media diskcase of claim 1, wherein the edge retention bracket, the two covers, andthe spine are formed together from a single piece of molded plastic. 13.The media disk case of claim 12, wherein the edge retention bracket isformed by cutting opposing forms from portions of the two coversadjoining the spine, folding the two forms towards the interiorcompartment, and attaching the two forms together.